When in Domino
by Evil Icing
Summary: There's only one task more outrageous and extreme than fulfilling your duty as a Tombkeeper and starting a new life: meeting your boyfriend's father, in a city you once tried to take over. An angstshipping adventure[because I can't stop].
1. Prologue

**_When in Domino_**

* * *

 _Prologue._

* * *

Ryou looked nervously at the cardboard boxes that now formed a bulky wall in his apartment living room. He nodded politely as a man sat, hopefully, the last box snugly beside the others. Behind him, through the door, another man appeared with a smaller box full of books and manuscripts. Messy handwriting was scrawled crudely across the side, probably meant as a label of some sort. He didn't recognize the writing, perhaps because it was practically illegible.

But the man had a familiar face that he knew well.

"Hello, Father, let me help you with that," Ryou cheerfully greeted after a couple beats, racing over to his father.

"It's fine, just set this one over there for now," the older man said with a smile. He set a shoulder gently on Ryou's shoulder as he took the box from him. "It's good to see you, son. You look _great_ … much better."

Ryou nodded, feigning a smile. His father didn't look like he'd changed much at all. He'd forgotten it had been so long since he'd last seen him. Back then… "I'm… feeling a lot better. Things have been great. It's so good to have you."

"You don't have to worry about me bothering you too much, I'm still pretty busy with work and things… you know how much I move around."

Ryou sat the box down on the sofa, promptly deciding to sit down himself. He watched nervously as his father tied up the loose ends with the men helping him move, paying them, and finally closed the door with a heavy sigh.

"Glad that's over with… I hate asking people for help, but I just had much more crap than I thought I did!"

Ryou smiled, nodding, as his father sat down next to him. "Would you like some tea, Father? Something to eat?"

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry, we'll have tea shortly. First things first, I'd like to catch up with you… Can I have a hug?"

Ryou chuckled, awkwardly reaching over to place his arms around his father's shoulders. Hugs were awkward enough as they were, let alone _sitting_ hugs. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to have these awkward family gestures. "There's really not much to tell…" he mumbled into his shoulder. "Just that I'm starting over, and I wanted you to see for yourself how much better I am now…"

The hug was warm and nostalgic as he felt his father's arms wrap likewise back around him in return. He really had missed him terribly… although thoughts of his father still reminded him of his mother and sister, something about this embrace felt different; something new and yet completely familiar. He almost felt like a kid again. His father must have felt the same way, because he felt him give a final, quick squeeze and snorted a laugh.

"You're such a pretty boy, you know that, Ryou?" his father joked. "It's almost amazing how much you look like your mother. She'd be so proud of that, you know. Always bragged about how ever since you were born you looked just like her."

They both exchanged a smile, sadness hiding behind both of their curled up lips. Perhaps it was best to just break the ice nice and easy. This was good. Topics that would normally be avoided just brought out in the open, just like old times… besides, it's not like there wasn't any pain they didn't share _together_. They were still a family, or at least, what was _left_ of one.

Ryou searched solemnly for a meaningful answer, but decided to just avoid it. "I… I had been thinking of cutting it recently, but I'm not quite sure I can bring myself to do it."

"Ha!" his father smirked proudly. "You sound like me. I don't think I'll ever be able to myself, so why change it, right?" He flicked his long ponytail over his shoulder for emphasis.

Ryou was glad to see his father still in good spirits, still silly and awkward and aloof, still healthy and his long dark hair still void of any gray strands. He still looked fairly young for his age, with wrinkles just barely starting to form around his eyes. Or at least, from what he could tell from behind his father's thick-rimmed glasses. He was still tall and lanky and seemed pretty solid on his feet. Ryou hoped he would be as lucky as his father when he got to be his age. He imagined there was a pretty good chance, considering.

"I bet the girls don't ever leave you alone, do they?"

Ryou laughed shyly. "Sort of… um, speaking of girls… do you have a, you know…?"

His father's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by his son's curious question. He hadn't expected that to come up so quickly. "Me?" he asked, incredulously. "A girlfriend? Me? Ha, what a silly question, my boy. I assure you I have no time for things like relationships, and… that _is_ what you meant, right?"

Ryou nodded. "Sorry, I… I didn't mean to sound so nosy. I was just… it's been so long, you know. A lot to catch up on."

Mr. Bakura slapped his hand playfully down onto his knee. "Not at all, not at all! You're my son, not some gossiping old housewife. You know you can ask me anything you want!"

Ryou nodded despite his father's cheerful antics, wanting desperately to believe that was true. He wanted to cry suddenly, thinking of all the things he actually wanted to tell his father; all the things that had happened to him in the past year, his adventures with Yugi and friends, his fate with the Millennium Ring and all the terrible things he had done…

His father knew, really, _nothing_.

Only that he had moved away after a brief period of depression and trouble at his old school (still, thanks to a certain evil spirit his father knew _nothing_ about) and that his son had randomly taken a recent trip to Egypt somehow, returned home, and was suddenly cured of all mental and psychological problems he previously had.

"Um, Father, speaking of relationships—" Ryou started, watching his father's ears perk up with interest, "—I actually… met someone."

"Aha! I knew there had to be a reason besides these new friends of yours that you look so happy now."

Ryou wished he had a mirror handy. "I do…?"

"Definitely!" Mr. Bakura assured him. "Especially since last time I saw you. You didn't look nearly as healthy, and you look like you're actually getting some sleep now… so that's a good thing. So, tell me about it, then. Who is the lucky girl?"

Ryou felt like he swallowed a billion razor blades at once. It was now or never. This was harder than all of the tests in the world, harder than being stuck inside your own mind while someone else controlled you, harder than trying to fit in with people that would never, _ever_ know you—

Ryou bit his tongue, whether by accident or on purpose he wasn't sure.

"I… um, well, _his_ name is… Marik."

The words came out like a song, sweet, soft, and sincere. It felt completely right, and the burden was lifted from his shoulders.

For half a moment, anyways.

He watched his father's mouth gape open in surprise. He reached up, probably involuntarily, to adjust the glasses balanced over his nose. "Oh…! _Oh_. I-I see," he chattered to himself, eyes still wide as he processed the information.

Ryou leaned forward some, balanced uncomfortably on the edge of his seat. "I-It's not like I _dislike_ girls or anything, Father, I promise, it's… it's just that we…we have this connection, you see, and we've been through some things together in the past, and it just kind of happened one day, and… I—"

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt his father take his hand in his own. It was warm and rough, complete with a painfully sturdy grip.

"Ryou, you don't need to explain yourself to me," he said quietly with a smile. It didn't look fake or forced. "Look, I understand, you know? I'm not fazed by it in the least, see? Just, uh, threw me for a loop, that's all. I'm… certainly glad you told me. About this… _new development_."

Ryou nodded slowly, still in a bit of shock himself. He was positive his heart had either stopped beating, or he was too numb to feel how fast it rattled within him. Not that he expected his father to storm out in a fit of rage, or anything, but still…

"You've been wanting to tell me this for a while, haven't you?"

Ryou affirmed this with another nod, followed by a sudden onslaught of uncontrollable tears and sniffles. "I-I'm so sorry, Dad, I just… I'm so happy you aren't angry with me… I've been so lost lately, and now I just…"

Mr. Bakura gripped his hand tighter. "It's alright, son, relax, just let it out… I'm here. I swear. I abandoned you once before, and I'll be _damned_ if I do it again."

Ryou wiped some tears away with his sleeve. "You… you didn't abandon me," he said, voice slightly cracked from his crying.

"I don't care. I want to be in your life for good, Ryou. All we have is each other, you know…? I know we've been through a hell of a lot, and I know we've never really been this open with our feelings before now, but… I want you to know that your happiness means the world to me. Ryou, you... You deserve a happy life, after all you've been through. And if this is what makes you happy? Well, so be it, I say! So… please. Don't you ever worry again about a thing like that, alright…?"

"Th-thank you so much, Dad," he whimpered softly. "I want to be in your life, too…"

Mr. Bakura leaned back into the sofa once again, another quirky smile forming on his lips despite his previous dejection. "So, go on, then, tell me about this Marik of yours… he, uh, sounds like he means a lot to you. When do I get to meet him?"

Ryou immediately perked up at the mention of his name, eyes blinking away leftover tears. "Well, he… he actually lives in Egypt…"

His father's eyes widened once again. " _Egypt_?! Well, that's… interesting. So that's what you were doing there, eh?"

"N-n-no, no, that's not _actually_ why I was there, I knew him before I went there. Well, sort of… but, we did start… um, you know, _talking_ more while I was there with Yugi and everyone."

Ryou sighed, barely even believing this was happening… here he was in his apartment, talking with his father whom he hadn't seen in a year, whom was now moving in with him, sitting on his couch and blushing like an idiot, crying about being in love with a boy from Egpyt… what in the _hell_ was going on here? When did things suddenly become so… _normal_? For once, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, he thought, if some other Bakura took over his body right this very moment and he could hide inside his mind and disappear; maybe even bang his head against the darkness a few times.

"Hey, wouldn't it be funny if I've actually met him before one of the times I went to Egypt? I still go there quite often, you know," Mr. Bakura laughed. "It'd be funny if I've ran into him randomly without knowing, or something."

"I doubt that," Ryou replied. "His family, er, doesn't really get out much. It's kind of a long story."

"Phew, I'll say," his father quipped, standing up. "Still, though, I'd like to meet him sometime, you know…? Not gonna lie, I'm a little curious if anything."

Ryou looked down at his feet, still blushing. "I, um… well, we had talked before about him coming to stay with me for a few days, maybe once school is out. I would love to show him around the city, places I know he's never seen before."

"Hey, see, that's a good idea! Well, don't let me stop ya. Even though I'm here with you now, I don't mind in the least if he came and stayed with us."

"Really? Hmm, well, I guess I could try sleeping on the sofa tonight, just to see how comfortable it is…"

"Sofa?" his father asked in surprise. "Uhhh… wouldn't he just be sleeping with you or something? I mean, that is... There's no need for anyone to sleep on the sofa…"

Ryou wanted to jump out of his skin. "F-Father! That's… um… I mean, I'm sure he could, I mean, if I wanted to… I mean, I know he would, but…"

At this point, he was sure that even his father was blushing.

Mr. Bakura cleared his throat. "Well, a-anyways, I really would love to meet him one day. You should try and run it by him, eh? See what he thinks. You can work out the details later."

Ryou nodded, politely, head bowed mostly to conceal his burning cheeks. "Th-thank you, Father, I'll bring it up next time I talk to him."

His father fumbled with a few boxes in the hall, peering inside a few as he read the mystery scribbles on the sides. "Well, I guess I need to start unpacking, right? I'd love to hear more about what you've been into, but I guess we'll have plenty of time to catch up now that we're living together again, eh?"

"R-right," he replied, trying his best to not smile too big, as big as he felt like smiling. He stood up and began heading towards his kitchen. "I'll make us some tea, while you make yourself at home."

"Oh, and Ryou?"

Ryou turned around, blinking innocently. "Yes?"

His father's eyes softened, his crooked grin replaced by a genuine smile. "I've missed you. Thank you for letting me stay with you… it'll be just like old times."

Ryou nodded happily in agreement, waiting until he saw his father focusing his attention back fully on his boxes until he dashed into his room, quickly closing the door behind him. He struggled with the phone in his pocket, quickly and urgently dialing numbers one by one until he heard a dial tone, and a " _Hello?_ " and…

"Marik! Marik!" he whispered loudly into the phone, "wake up, won't you! I have to tell you something _important_ , you're going to freak out, can you hear me?"

* * *

 **A/N: I can't be stopped now! Ahhh. I'll try and update this pretty quickly, as I have quite a bit planned for this. Also, I really just love the idea of Bakura's father pretty much just being a silly version of Ryou... I mean, he _has_ to be a quirky dude, after all. It runs in the family. After all the family has been through, I love the idea of Ryou's dad just being overly optimistic and cheerful like this, but, ya know... is he really? **


	2. Chapter 1

"Ryou, what are you… it's… mmmmf, _five_ in the morning here…"

 _"I know, I'm sorry, I promise I wouldn't have called you up if it wasn't really, really_ incredibly _important!"_

Marik rubbed his eyes, releasing a delirious yawn into his cell phone. He internally cursed the damn time difference between Japan and Egypt. Normally it wasn't so bad, but _normally_ Ryou never called when he knew it was so early. He was almost reluctant to hear whatever news was so _incredibly_ urgent. Marik typically wasn't good at handling bad news. Especially paired with the fact that he was still half-asleep and partially still not convinced he wasn't dreaming this conversation. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd dreamed he'd heard Ryou's voice, or even thought so much about him he'd literally felt his presence nearby, to find it was only in his mind. Dreams were silly things.

"Alright, well, what is it, then? I wanna hear," he mumbled. "What's going on?"

There was a brief silence, and Marik carefully listened to the distinctive, familiar repetition of Ryou's breathing.

 _"Well, I… I told my father about…us."_

There was another, shorter silence, this time Marik's doing.

"…already? Wh-what happened? Is everything okay? Are _you_ okay?"

 _"He wants to meet you. Like, really, really soon, you know."_

Marik nearly choked. He sat up in his bed, now completely awake. "What, wha-? 'Meet me'? You mean he… he wasn't…"

 _"No, he was… surprisingly supportive."_ Ryou's voice sounded as equally relieved as Marik suddenly did. _"He wants you to come over and stay for a while in a couple months. He says he just really wants me to be… happy. With this... and with everything."_

"That's… that's… I'm really glad," Marik said. He twisted around in his sheets. "I… I don't know what to say. I'm…I'm kinda nervous. But _relieved_."

 _"I thought you'd be surprised! I promise I'll let you get back to sleep soon, I'm supposed to be making tea right now, I just… had to tell you! I couldn't wait. You've got to come see me soon now that this has happened. Please, Marik!"_

"Oh, sure, I'll be right over, just let me change," Marik teased.

Ryou laughed over the phone, his laughter short and sweet with the tiniest hint of despondency. _"I wish. No need to change, really… whatever you're wearing is fine. Just hurry it up already."_

Marik grinned at his boyfriend's sudden boldness. "What if I'm not wearing _anything_?"

Ryou's voice seemed to catch in his throat before he answered. Marik could practically see him blushing through the phone. _"M-Marik! Please don't… don't do that to me right now. I… I'm helping my father, you know! He's moving his things in right now as we speak…"_

"That's right, go make your tea, then… I'll be here."

 _"A-Alright. Talk to your sister about this, please? You've got to come to Domino and stay with me… even if just for a bit."_

"I'll talk to her in the morning," Marik promised. His eyes felt heavy, but he really couldn't stop smiling enough to focus on them. "Well, later in the morning, that is."

 _"I hope you can get back to sleep alright… I really am sorry I woke you."_

"If I can't get back to sleep, I'm blaming it on you and all the things you do to me."

 _"Like… like what?"_ Ryou asked sheepishly. _"What things?"_

Marik chuckled. "Are you sure you want to know? You're making tea, remember? Helping your dad…?"

 _"Aa-ahh… that's… that's right,"_ Ryou sighed softly into the receiver, embarrassed. _"You can just tell me tonight. Before I go to bed."_

"If I did that, Ryou, you'd be up _all_ night…" Marik purred. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

 _"I'm kind of used to it now, really, thanks to you…"_

"I keep thinking, it'll be… really nice to sleep next to you again, you know," Marik randomly admitted, almost quietly. He never imagined he'd ever be saying such mushy, sentimentally ridiculous things to anyone… but of course, Ryou was different. Ryou changed _everything_. "...As long as your father doesn't mind."

 _"I… I don't think it'll be a problem. But I know. It'll be so great to have you back here... spending time with me. You have no idea how much I need this—need_ you _."_ Ryou sighed. _"God, I sound so lonely and pathetic."_

"I'll try my best to change the lonely part. And if it makes you feel any better, you're not alone in your... loneliness. That... doesn't even make sense, does it?"

 _"You're so cute when you try to cheer me up,"_ Ryou laughed. _"_ _Obviously, things are going to be so much different than last time you were here... um, I think you're really going to enjoy it, though. I really just… argh, I can hardly wait! I'll tell you everything later in detail, alright? We'll work it out. Go back to sleep, Marik. Sleep tight."_

Marik smiled. "Easy for you to say. I'll try."

 _"I… I love you."_

Marik was so glad they had started saying this to each other recently; three little words that implied something much bigger, yet ended a conversation with such emphasis and promise. The first time they had exchanged "I love you's" was an accident... Marik took the humiliating credit for that one. He both cursed and thanked that particular night's alcohol that made this first declaration possible.

"I love you, too, good night…morning…" he said, before hearing the phone click off on the other end. He stared at it or a moment, his lover's name spelled out boldly on the screen amidst the darkness, before he snuggled back into his blankets, barely able to contain the emotions that were suddenly surging within him. This really did seem just like a dream...

He, Marik Ishtar, former sworn Tomb-keeper of the Pharaoh, would soon be going back to Domino City, a city at one point in time that he nearly killed all of Ryou's friends in—not to mention Ryou _himself_ —to meet Ryou's _dad_?

He grimaced. He definitely didn't see that one going over too well.

 _"Hello, Mr. Bakura, I'm fucking your son, and have been fucking your son before he ever even knew about it because he was possessed by an evil spirit who liked to be fucked, by me. Sugar for your tea? Can I help you with the dishes?"_

He burrowed his face into his pillow, groaning tiredly as he imagined all the nightmare dilemmas that flew through his head. Why did all of his self-confidence and bravado fly out the door when Ryou was involved? Why did he have such power over him? He doubted he even _knew_ what effect he had on him, as Marik certainly didn't _flaunt_ the fact that he was smitten and beyond all help. Ryou wasn't dumb by any means, but he had the tendency to be naive about things; particularly, relationships. Or maybe it was just an act... Marik hadn't quite figured him out completely yet. But still…

The thought of spending some time in Domino City with Ryou every single day did sound pretty worth it. In truth, Marik knew that he owed Ryou this… and so much more than he could never really, ever repay to the boy. It was a debt that Ryou himself simply shrugged off, and practically denied the existence of. But Marik hadn't forgotten… he would _never_ forget.

How bad could meeting his father be, after all? Ryou really hadn't told him much about him, only that they had just recently reconnected again. Something about how the Spirit of the Millennium Ring had made it hard for him to have a human connection of any kind, and that included family... that he was really, truly better off alone in those days. Marik thought of his own father, though only briefly, because he didn't want to go to that place in his mind. Not now. This was about Ryou. And _Ryou's_ father.

With that, and more seemingly innocent thoughts of nights sleeping next to Ryou, he closed his eyes and decided he'd work up the courage to sort this out… tomorrow.

* * *

"Father, the tea is ready."

Ryou poked his head into the room.

"Thanks, son, I'll be right there," Mr. Bakura said. He fumbled with a heavy box full of what looked to be baubles and gadgets; some shiny, some corroded with rust. Ryou almost expected to see a Millennium Item scattered among them, but remembered that there's no way his father would be bringing something like that home to him anymore. Not _now_.

Ryou returned to the kitchen, sipping his tea in deep thought.

Really, all he could successfully think about was Marik; his closest companion. His best friend, his... was there even a word for how he really regarded him, deep in his heart? There didn't seem to be a title worthy enough for such a person such as Marik.

He thought of all the things he desperately wanted to show him in the city; things he knew that Marik had probably never seen or experienced, considering he was raised underground all of his childhood. He just couldn't wait to show him. Just the thought of Marik playing games at the arcade, or riding roller coasters at an amusement park... hell, even just imagining him shopping in a store made Ryou giggle. Perhaps a little too loudly.

"What's funny?" a voice said from behind him.

"Oh! Nothing!" Ryou quickly answered, startled, nearly spilling the hot tea all over himself.

"Better not have poisoned my tea," his father said with a teasing smile. "Over there planning to get rid of me and I haven't even unpacked yet."

Ryou was afraid to laugh at first, but soon remembered that his father did seem to say the strangest things; he figured he wasn't much to judge when it came to all things generally considered "strange," but perhaps the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. He smiled in amusement.

"Of course not, Father," he answered. "Not unless you have intentions of sneaking into my secret snack drawer."

Mr. Bakura's eyes glowed with interest. "Secret snack drawer? Well, you might as well color me poisoned, because now I'm just going to _have_ to find it! The tea is delicious, by the way."

"Father, can I... can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly! I already told you, you can ask me absolutely anything."

Ryou nodded solemnly. Random questions flew through his head constantly, questions begging for answers.

"Do you... do you believe in ghosts? A-and spirits?"

His father was quiet for a moment, taking an especially long sip of tea. His son never failed to ask questions that he least expected. And it was barely even past noon yet.

"Well, I... I've never actually seen any myself. But I, uh, suppose I do, yeah. Why do you ask? Are you about to tell me this place is haunted, because..."

Ryou blinked. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that." _It's only me that was haunted,_ he wanted to say. "I'm sorry. I don't know what _possessed_ me to ask that. It's nothing." The words he chose were far from incidental, desperate to be found out and questioned.

But Mr. Bakura shrugged it off as he dropped a cube of sugar into his tea, and Ryou couldn't help himself from looking right past his father at the calendar pinned on the wall. At least he had his father to distract him until he could see Marik, considering they had quite a bit to catch up on.

How many more days would it be before he could finally see him...? The countdown, in his mind, had already begun...


End file.
